A vacant former restaurant was consumed by flames on Monday evening.

Emergency crews tackled a blaze adjacent to the railway tracks in Ystrad Mynach, resulting in considerable travel disruption on March 30.

The unused two-level structure, known in the area as Nancy’s Café on Nelson Road, ignited at approximately 4.53pm.

Firefighters from Caerphilly, Roath, Aberbargoed, and Treharris arrived at the location, deploying an elevated platform and four 45-metre water jets in what they termed a defensive approach. The operation continued for almost an hour.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service reported receiving notification at 16:53 on the previous day regarding a fire in a two-storey unoccupied property. Crews from Caerphilly, Roath, Aberbargoed, and Treharris responded, conducting a defensive exterior assault using four 45M jets, four breathing apparatus sets, an elevated platform, and forced entry equipment. A thorough internal sweep of the premises was also undertaken.

The all-clear message came through at 17:47. Responsibility for the incident has since been transferred to the authorities.

During the peak of the emergency, Nelson Road was blocked to traffic and the A472 was sealed in both directions between Tredomen Park and Lewis Street. Gwent Police urged local householders to keep windows and doors shut.

Rail services experienced hold-ups and cancellations because of the fire, with witnesses noting that trains skipped Ystrad Mynach and continued directly to Hengoed and Llanbradach. Evening travellers were affected until schedules returned to normal just after 8.30pm.

By 8.46pm, Gwent Police confirmed that Nelson Road had been reopened.

The matter was passed to police once firefighting operations concluded, and the force has been approached for additional information.